missing a lots of you. hope you have a great morning. >> the thing i miss most is the food. a big thanks to our crew and producer. merry christmas. >> welcome to "outnumbered." as we wrap up 2017, we look back on the accomplishments of the president in his first year and a look ahead to what it will mean for his second year in term. merry christmas, happy holidays. happy everything. i'm harris faulkner. the editor of townhall.com, katie pavlich. and democratic strategist and fox news contributor, jessica tarlov and "outnumbered," david ovella is here. he's out numbered on this before christmas day. he rolls like it doesn't matter. >> merry christmas and count

down on to the ball drop. >> we're ready. >> bring it on. >> bring it on. let's do this. >> get to the news. in spite of a tumultuous first year in office, the president has a solid list of accomplishments under his belt. for starters, his first big legislative win after the passage of the gop tax bill. the washington examiner kicking off a host of his other accomplishments which include getting a highly respected conservative judge confirmed to the supreme court in neil gorsuch. appoint ago one-year record number of judges to the circuit courts. scrapping a host of burdensome and unnecessary regulations, he says. playing a big role in the fight, which essentially helped destroy the islamic state savages and securing new oil drilling and pipelines. sarah sanders touted the president's first year successes saying they're not getting the attention they deserve. >> the president has been a tremendous leader when it comes

to growing our economy, creating jobs, creating optimism in our country and putting america first again. this is something that this president talked about open the campaign trail and he's delivering. the fact that he's been defeating and helping lead that effort to defeat isis a major success story that's been completely missed and completely underreported by the mainstream media the last year. >> when it comes to the economy, the big measure is the dow jones. it has soared hitting record after record during the president's first year. david? your thoughts. >> president trump and the republican congress have delivered on what we talked about last year, which is making people more economically and personally secure. this first year just as important now sets the table and sets the platform for next year. we're going to look at welfare reform, we're going to look at a infrastructure bill. all which will make the 2018 political environment very different than what we have talked about this year. will make for some interesting

elections. >> a quick follow to you. so as we're ending the year, we're seeing historic lows in the popularity numbers for this president. historic for the united states of america for a first-term president. yet he's getting these things done. you hear sarah sanders saying he's not getting the credit for them what are your thoughts on the low numbers? >> they have lots to do to go up. but these policies will help do that. let's also keep in mind, just because an elected official isn't necessarily popular doesn't mean people don't support their policies and doesn't ultimately mean they get re-elected because people will judge them on how their lives are better. and in this case, his first year, we're heading in that direction. >> jessica? >> i respectfully disagree. you knew that would happen. maybe not the respectful part. the low approval numbers do have the do with the president and these policies. there's a republican the democrats are up 13 to 15 points in the generic ball lot, which everybody is expecting a wave

election, which historically happens in a cyclical way. i don't see it that way. the president promised a bunch of things that are not happening like the wall, the healthcare and repeal and replace. removing the mandate is a step towards that, which some people think is a good thing. i personally don't. when i saw the list, i said oh, i didn't really realize this was happening because there's been so many controversies like the charlottesville remarks or the sons of whatever comment that he married about nfl players to people that focused on. i see why a conservative would be happy looking at that list. >> another thing, you've listed a couple things that 80 played out on twitter or wherever we happen to see them that were bigger than anybody had anticipated. cat, sanders has a good point when she talks about the coverage of the good things from the administration. when you look at some of the surveys that were done earlier and through the end here of 2017, there's so much negative coverage of this white house.

>> right. absolutely. there is some of that to your point that he does bring on. he likes to fight. he doesn't care if he does things the way people think he should do in that office. some of the negative coverage is ridiculous when you talk about the number of diet cokes he drinks per day and the extra scoop of ice cream. does he eat at mcdonald's. who cares? i eat ice cream and eat at mcdonald's. >> i put diet coke on my ice cream at mcdonald's. >> and some people relate to the president. he likes kfc and everyday people things. on that level, they like him. back to david's point. they don't have to personally like donald trump to have his policies. president obama, for example, is very popular personally. many of his policies are not popular, which is why we've seen a referendum on a number of his policies. in terms of the media coverage, the reason why they choose to seize on controversies rather

than digging deep, to cover the ins and outs of the tax wills, they're trying to protect president obama's legacy by making sure that they seize on the controversies rather than promoting the administration. >> what you're saying, katie, if you recall, democrats in the end before -- just before barack obama was exiting the white house saying they may have underestimated the polling showing how upset people were about obamacare. how it wasn't working. that was kind of a short coming as he was exiting out the door. david, you're nodding. >> i had to chuckle when jessica said while he didn't get all these other things done, as if everything he talked about in the campaign had to be done in the first -- >> he said it was a day one situation -- >> it was a day one priority. >> he said it was going to be done. >> the eight project ideas. this isn't process. we'll see what happens in early 18. >> any president would be

pleased to have a first year like president trump pulled off. it's interesting to add, that's partly where there's a disconnect with national democratic leaders. they're suggesting that somehow getting rid of the individual mandate, which is somehow going to make people that are -- have to pay a government penalty for an insurance plan they can't pay for -- >> technically a tax. >> technically a tax. that somehow they think voters will be angry at the gop because now they don't have to pay a tax for a health -- >> it's not just that. it's over $300 billion lost to the economy the next ten years. we can also talk about the childrens insurance program that hasn't been funded and a number of states will be losing, not something that republicans and democrats should be concerned about. with the individual mandate, obamacare had a plus 21% approval rating. it was not popular. but under threat of what the gop would dough -- >> i think i they oversold it. >> explain how it's acceptable

for people to pay a penalty for a healthcare plan that they can't pay for because it's too expensive because the insurance companies have pulled out and they have potentially one insurer in their state? >> they're forced to buy something and it's too expensive. they have had to pay the penalty, which is up to hundreds of dollars and a obamacare plan that changes year after year -- >> and they can't keep their doctors. >> and hospitals in rural areas have collapsed. >> there's not been a president that does everything they say they'll do. we're all unfortunately used to the fact that's how politics work. sometimes they say something and it doesn't end up working that way. >> cat, i want to get you in on this point. i don't hear it enough. i was looking at pictures this morning on holidays. kind of look back. i was heart broken still. i have relatives in texas that are not in houston but were part

of some of the efforts there to get goods for people there. people are still hurting, this is a president that went down, very visible there, florida. puerto rico. and i know he took a lot of grief on that but he stood some time on the island as well. i was with the special counsel to the president, kellyanne conway on the air the day he was in puerto rico. we talked about that. florida. the keys. still a mess. so much happened in rapid success in his presidency during the hurricane season. no one talks about that. >> and he's dealing with the investigation, dealing with a lot of people that don't consider him to be a legitimate. . he had one of the hardest years. a lot of things aren't his fault like nature. and if i had to deal with it, i'd be doing worse than mcdonald's to deal with it. >> with the concern with the

pace, the white house has not been considered about p.r. with the staffing in the west wing and what was going on, it was chaotic until john kelly -- >> i think it was longer than three months. >> four or five months. >> bananaland. >> they did get a handle on it at the six month mark over the summer and they've had a lot of accomplishments that have been down played. we're hardly talking about isis has been removed in iraq considering the deal -- >> the caliphate in raqqa. >> yeah. slaughtering cristians, engaging in genocide and destroying argument facts that have been there for thousands of year. we have to continue with them here now. but that was a huge concern with americans a year ago. however, the fact that that is an accomplishment of the things being down played should be highlighted. >> isis has grown to 14 countries. we got in there with raqqa and got rid of their nesting hole. they're still in many other

areas. as you point out, we have a better shot going after them. sexual harassment scandals continue having a huge impact on congress and already on mid-term campaigns. so far scandals claiming four house members including john conyers of michigan. trent franks of arizona. and on the senate side, al franken's resignation leaving some if his appointed successor, tina smith, will hold up in a competitive primary. some are still wondering when is he exiting actually. when it comes to campaigns, florida democratic candidate mary flores shares her me too moment in one of her first ads. >> as a woman that has worked since i was 15 years old, i've dealt with handsy customers, harassment and even assault from a boss. as a lawyer, with a judge who made a crack about my looks on

my very first day in court. >> in kansas, democrat andrea ramsey has dropped out of her raise amid questions over a 2005 sexual harassment lawsuit by a former male business subordinate. ramsey says the backlash is out of control. it's rush to claim the high ground in our royaling national conversation about harassment. the democratic party has implement add zero tolerance standard and we're in a national moment where rough justice stands in place of careful analysis, nuance and due process. cat what do you think about that? >> i know this is a political discussion, but when it comes to sexual harassment and sexual assault, we need to try to not look at it as being something political. if you're a candidate, you can't care about politics anymore. we have to put our humanity in front of that i've seen that some people are able to do that better than others. it's not a bummer when something

comes out about a candidate. it's a good thing, a woman is getting justice. >> or a man. >> or a man. >> it's not just the woman who are apparently getting harassed as we went with the lawsuit. >> and jessica, you and i talked about this very early on. this is about power. >> power and dominance. >> it does most often break along gender lines with women. they tend to have less power and less representation in most places including capitol hill. >> absolutely. i'm glad to see legislation, bipartisan legislation coming down the pipeline that will address that in both the senate and the congressional sides. power, dominance as we discussed and physical strength as well. we can't change the facts that men will typically be stronger than women. if you're talking about a real assault here. not talking about a hand on -- an inappropriate hand. i've been guilty myself of thinking oh, bummer, right? it was a candidate or politician that i like. we need to move passed it and

say we don't need any of these people. >> makes the workplace safer. >> for everybody. >> yes. >> and you know what is interesting, because you'll hear and i know you're hearing probably what i am, too, from sources, no names, but 35 to 40 more people could be touched by this in terms of accusations against them on the hill. that is a lot of people. we have the mid-terms coming up. what do you think? >> there will be more members of congress that won't be in congress because of situations like this. it's unfortunate. and as voters -- >> and you think in the short term. >> if reports are true, yes. just as -- not only the allegations and the actions that members have done, but also republican congress needs to get rid of the funds that allow members of congress to pay sexual harassment claims from federal tax dollars. that's a must. that must happen. >> you're seeing a bipartisan push to do just that with

barbara comstock and that group. >> that's right. >> and jackie spears. it's bipartisan, as i said. she's a democrat. so you've seen that. the bull put forth. i had barbara comstock on my show "overtime" the day that she put that on the floor of the house. so i said, you know, what it is like there? a lot of money coming with you. she said we have two that we know. >> we have two. >> and it was live. i would like to roll back the tape and say huh? it takes time, i guess, for everybody to come on board. i don't know. >> the thing is, we want these things to move quickly, which is important. we want to address these very serious issues on capitol hill in a fast fashion. however, when it comes to legislation, we're talking about legal obligations here. we're talking about the law. you cannot just rush something through without not understanding the constitutional aspects of it, the little implications, what it means for every office and what the requirements are for people to actually meet the legislation. sometimes we push through

legislation that doesn't solve the problem that we're looking to solve because we don't think through some of the unintended consequences of how people can get around it, is it something that can supply with in terms of how the office structure is set up with the budget. it's not just the fund that they have been paying the claims out on. they've also been secretly paying them out. there's more work to be done. >> as we look to the mid-terms, i'm seeing a list of more women joining the competition. so that will make this year an interesting set of races to cover as well. when it comes to the mid-terms, growing concerns among republicans that they could lose control of congress, at least one chamber after november's elections. democrats have their own worries as far as fund-raisings. the hopes and fears and what it could mean for the balance of power on capitol hill. and more on the president's unveiled national security strategy. how it differs from previous policies and how his america first approach could play out in the coming year.

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>> after years of gains, there's growing concerns that the republicans could see losses in the mid-terms. the hill is reporting some republicans are worried after the 2018 mid-terms if there's significant voter backlash against trump on the local level. this could all start to change. next year's election takes on special meaning because of the upcoming redistricting process that could begin with the 2020 census. state legislatures are responsible for crafting the maps. so voters like democrats to their state houses, it could impact the balance of power on the federal level. democrats loss 514 seats in the 1994 mid-terms as bill clinton's approval ratings dropped. republicans lost 628 seats in 1974 after the watergate scandal and democrats lost 762 seats in 1966 as president lyndon johnson's approval ratings feel during the vietnam war. now a report says president trump he plans to be heavily

involved in the mid-terms a and do campaigning for republican candidates. so we're going to our political guru. should republicans be concerned considering the president's approval rating is low? >> the most important thing the republicans can do is govern effectively. if we have a year like we did this year and we pass welfare reform and pass a infrastructure bill, we'll be in a good spot going to the 2018 election. to my fellow republicans that like to worry, i think of my mother's comment. she would be worried if she didn't have something to worry about. that's how republicans can be sometimes. >> jessica, you said earlier that you believe and your party democrats think a wave of elections is coming based on the generic ballot. can you expand what's going on on that side of the aisle? >> yes. there's hope. what happened in alabama was a boon. we have overperformed in every election that we took part in.

as i said, historically, it's just time for a wave and i would encourage everybody to look. i agree with you. the best things the republicans can do is govern effectively. we need to be very careful where we sent our leadership. some districts don't need donald trump showing up there just like some don't need nancy pelosi or chuck schumer. you have to run district specific campaigns and make sure you're talking to voters with an awareness for who they're positive on. >> i'm not so sure alabama is an indication. i've heard a lot of people say that. that was its own crazy land situation. >> many expected that roy moore could win. >> but i don't think that indicates anything moving forward. the president's approval rating is an issue, but he still has a base that is stronger than we've ever seen. there's certain people that if you say anything about trump, it's like you attacked their own

mother. it's still an asset. >> and the districts that president trump won that obama won in 2012, whether those will go back to blue or whether they will stay red is a big question. >> yeah. so i think this is the part where speaker paul ryan and other republicans yesterday got it right. diane black said it, too. when people start to open up their paychecks in mid to late february and they start to feel or don't feel the tax legislation that is being passed for a third time today as it goes to the president's desk, as the house revotes, when they start to feel that, they can make a determination on the ground and that proverbial kitchen table that we talk about in politics, whether it's working for them. that's why i think you're right on the president as well as prove value ratings. that's all people vote on. they're not taking his poll numbers into the booth. >> you say it well. >> they talked about on this couch last week and this week, that republicans have done a poor job of selling the

republican tax bill that is going to cult taxes for the majority of the middle class. if they can't use good messages going into 2018, is that problem? >> yes. >> how do we fix that? >> we have to be big promoters of the success that we've had. you reference something in the top of the segment which is redistricting and as we look to the drawing of lines. i get confused. i can't decide, is this the week that the democrats say we have so gerrymandered districts that there's no way they can win seats or is this the week the wave will be so big that they're going to take congress. it can't be both. if they believe they can't take congress next year, all of these lawsuits that they have tied the court systems up with that redistricting is unfair has all been for not and a big waste of money. >> and not their money. >> and former attorney general eric holder who was heavily involved in the justice department in redistricting and voting going forward.

>> not for nothing. it's not just the redistricting process. it's the p.r. around it as well. that's the rule that i understand eric holder and others -- >> isn't that true about everything? the tax bill. you know how to sell it. the republicans know what to say -- you say oh, you're going to get a tax cut. i say wait a couple years. it's going to go up -- >> not a couple of years. >> i'm saying that's what i would say but i didn't say that. but the point is about redistricting especially, everybody likes it if they're the ones drawing the lines. if democrats can draw the lines and make sure we get voters, that's great. the republicans redraw the lines and get their voters is great. that's why so many people run on getting rid of districting and nothing ever happens. >> 2018 will be fun. buckle your seat belts. >> i love 2017, a few days left. >> here we go. president obama is not president trump. revealing a new national

security strategy that is different from his predecessor. as the president calls, putting america first. how this plays out at home. and we've seen the president in the press battle it out over the year. a recent survey showing the president may indeed have a reason to talk about a hostile press. we'll debate.

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>> a lot of reaction to a major address by. trump in which he unveiled his national security strategy. that speech made clear that this white house has a very different world view than past administrations by putting america first. the commander-in-chief is touting one of his primary campaign promises. watch. >> this strategy recognizes we cannot secure or nation if we don't secure our borers. we're now defending our homeland. it calling for the construction of the wall on the southern boarder, ending chain migration

and horrible visa and lottery programs. >> the president made a point in using when it comes to fighting terrorism. >> our strategy calls for us to confront and defeat radical islamic terrorism and ideology and prevent it from spreading into the united states. >> but for some democrats, the chief concern still seems to be one thing. russia. >> russia deliberately tried to interfere in our elections, that they have a propaganda campaign that is detrimental to our interests. the president can't say it. he still embraces mr. putin. so he cannot acknowledge what russia did here in the united states and what he's doing -- continuing to do in europe. this is a fundamental problem that we have with president trump. >> david, do you think we'll ever hear from the left, isis, isis, isis? >> a great question. we were at a white house

briefing two weeks ago on national security. it's clear two things, really. one, we're going to deal with the world as it is, not as we may hope it to be. which has a very different strategy and very different tactic. when pressed, the senior administration official who talked to us said let me give you one example. as we fought syria, the old policy was there can't be more than three helicopters in syria at any one time. the military generals decide how we're going to fight the war and you don't have to call florida, the major military base where decisions are made to make every decision. you're on the ground. you make the decision. it's a different turn from where we have been the last against years. >> you think the democratic party will look and say, you know, we needed to do more and say more about the islamic state? >> if they're smart that there and talk about the immigration. there's a way to toe the line and show that you're concerned about the personal safety of

americans at home and a broad and continue to maintain that we're a compassionate country and takes those that are seeking refuge abroad and deserve to be here. it's not as if when a terrorist attacks in times square or the west side highway that they're checking political affiliation as it were. so i think democrats do need to be smart about that. a great piece in "the new york times" that i thought about that talked about isis. i recommend everyone read it. i think democrats can also say, you know, we're part of this. we fight in the military as well, support our military. this is a great thing. gives people the chance to not have that talking point like dems won't give trump any credit. >> and this president is saying america first, which is different. >> hei'm a libertarian. i want a strong national defense. i'm not an idiot. i don't want to die, et cetera.

but we're spending more than the next eight countries combined. that could be great if it actually results in cutting military spending which is something that nobody wants to say. all we've gotten as we spend more money is wrapped up in more and more conflicts. that's something that president trump has spoken out against. but he wants to spend more hahn the military. i would like this if it -- >> wait a minute. spending more on the military by raising military salaries is very different than putting weapons on the battlefield. >> all of our equipment is outdated. we've had multiple accidents of ships running to each other due to outdated technology. planes crashing as a result. the fact is that we need to update our military. look at the global dynamic with north korea and iran, the trump administration is making it very clear what they're putting out lately with talking points and having briefings at the white house. they're getting the country ready for serious decisions about north korea and iran.

this new strategy makes it very clear that iran is a problem in the middle east. they're going to take action to fight against them and they're taking terrorism serious in sense that they're calling it a jihadist organization, which the bach straight wasn't welling to do. >> and the mainstream media putting pressure on the trump administration. >> we've never had a president that personally and unrelentingly attacked individual reporters and saying they're enemies of the people. i suggest this is a very dangerous place. this has do be unacceptable. a free, truly true and fiercely independent press is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.

>> this as the media research center says the president's coverage of abc and cbs news was 91% negative. here's a break down. in november alone, 320 negative statements were made about the president with only 33 positive ones. we should note these numbers are based on evaluative statements from reporters or nonpartisan sources. so jessica, you think this hurts democrats when it's that negative and you get into the area of the diet coke expose and things like that? you think people get sick of it? >> i think they do. the democrats don't need to be concerned about our base as it were just like republicans don't need to be concerned about trump loyalists. what you need to be concerned about are moderates and independents and those looking at what went on in the last year, two years at the mid-terms and making a decision on the spot. they're saying i don't like either party, which is the

majority of americans that are not fans of either. they'll say i don't care about the diet cokes and the ice cream but they will say i care about statements and controversies. this president bring a lot of them on himself. maybe they will look at the accomplishments as well and say why wasn't i hearing about that if they do get to hear about it by then. >> you hear dan rather's comments and you think do they eat lemons every day to put them in a sour mood to report on this president? >> fake news. jim a costas -- >> take a step back to the obama administration. for dan rather to say this is bogus and devoid of the fact. the obama administration was spying on a.p. reporters and fox news executives. tracking reporters movements, tapping in at the state department and pentagon and the white house. they're reading their -- listening to their conversations and they lied -- eric holder lied to a federal judge about a

fox news reporter being a criminal co-conspirator. so this idea that trump -- yes, he says things that we don't like, but words versus actions, he's not the worst. barack obama went after reporters in a way that threatened democracy. >> to many conservatives, this is the big accomplishment of the trump administration. giving it to reporters as they have given it to republicans for decades. >> harris, you brought up a good point. you didn't hear about it with president as you do now. >> that's the good point. they would be covering themselves. there were some cozy relationships with the white house and some members of the media. we found out that sometimes you

float things to friendly reporters. >> all presidents do that. >> you look at the things that were being done, not necessarily just said, it's problematic that the american people didn't know about it at the time. of course you're judging it through the lens of oh, my gosh, we've never seen anything like this before. >> but we have. >> you didn't see it is the difference. to the public. >> that's what i'm saying. judging it through a lens saying we've never seen this before. >> more than 100 professors and students are calling for the removal of a statue of christopher columbus saying it celebrates historical genocide. should the concerns be addressed or is this more political correctness? we debate next. i love you, basement guest bathroom. your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink.

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a letter to the city's mayor demanding the removal of several monuments including a statue of former president theodore roosevelt, accusing him of being linked to the eugenics movement. they also want a statue of christopher columbus saying that he played a role in historical genocide of indigenous people. the letter says "for far too long, they have generated harm and a sense as expressions of white supremacy. these monuments are an affront in a city whose officials preach tollerance." this all comes after mayor bill de blasio called for a review of the statues "all symbols of hate on city property following violent protests in charlottesville in august". >> that's an interesting idea.

my greatest fear is that if we erase number of the substance that happened to us, that the text, the visual, if we erase enough of it, i'm afraid we'll start to make the same mistake. some idiot will think his or her idea is new. >> people have walk passed it in a museum differently than they would view it walking down the street and standing there? >> i just had -- it's a fair question. >> we're judging history by not -- by modern day standards, which doesn't make what happens okay. but the idea that christopher columbus wasn't important in american history and should be torn down because professors and students send a letter to bill de blasio, you have to ask what the justification is. many judge their country by their worst sins. >> you put it best but in a different context. there's no perfect person out

there. even when you talk policy, when you're talking -- we know that some of our leadership, that helped form the country and worked in leading us all had slaves. it is -- >> it's fact. >> yeah. it's just fact. >> i have difficulty with this. i understood what was going on about the robert e. lee statue when we had the issue in charlottesville. seemed to be that that was also a majority of opinion and hate. when you get to christopher columbus and theodore roosevelt, woodrow wilson's school and princeton, things gets hazier for me. we're not all you kateding ourselves about this. but i'm not sure that people think about slaughtering indigenous people but they think about the discovery american. it's up to teachers to talk about what happened.

but at the same time, it's part of the rich tapestry of our nation that we did some things amazingly well and some things amazingly badly. if people can't see that on the streets, there's a problem. a plaque doesn't do it. we need civics education. we need people to be talking to their children about where we came from and how we got here. parents and teachers. >> and sometimes it can be the catalyst for that conversation. can be brave enough as americans to embrace our history with our children and to see something and say you know what -- >> and how about the political correctness and the response to that question? >> we have to have that conversation and things like political correctness do prevent you from having to conversation. if you get rid of these statues, you'll find -- all of these people owned slaves. anybody in the world, you can say she did this.

me, i was pocahontas in the third grade. >> oh, my gosh. >> this -- these are important historical things that we need to discuss. maybe in a museum? i don't know. but you can't make it go away. >> it's going to continue. that's for sure. on to something more fun. what is better than unwrapping presents on christmas morning? maybe paying off student loans what young people are saying about what that says about our education system. plus, we hear it all. jesus is the reason for the season. a new poll shows some americans moving away from that idea. what to make of that shift next.

>> the majority of americans say religious aspects are declining. the number stands at 56% with 12% saying religious aspects are emphasized more now than in the past. perhaps more surprising, 31% of people say that the decline bothers them. 25% say they are not bothered by the shift and the remaining 30% say they don't notice any

change. meantime, the number of people saying christian displays should be allowed on government property has dropped to 66%. the number stood at 72% in 2014. right now i personally am not a religious person. i don't understand why anyone would be upset by a nativity scene or someone telling me merry christmas. it's not like they tell you to have a bad christmas. why are people treating christmas like it's a four-letter word. >> i wish more people regardless of their beliefs or religions would act like they have it. that way you can check that box. look, you know, we have a nativity scene in our town. and there's people that are for it and against it. i look at it is, you know, keep your joy on the inside. i don't -- i look at these numbers and i know how many people are unchurched now. i know how many people don't check the faith box anymore. they have fallen away of the belief of something greater than

me. i worry more ant their journey and whether or not they're comfortable with a nativity set that is placed on the city hall lawn. >> i don't understand how this story could be upsetting to anyone. >> i have no idea. i don't know how anyone could walk into a building and see a christmas tree and a menorah and how did that sneak in there. let's get it out of there. certainly people celebrating kwanzaa or whatever you're doing to celebrate. it's a special fun time, the holiday season, where you're just -- everything is lit up. i don't know why people are negative. to harris' more serious point here, we have seen a decline in religion in america. this has implications for our social society. economically makes a huge difference. people succeed when they're part of a tight knit community. >> and gives more. we're a nation based on

charitablety. people look to us as a beacon. >> i find that in other ways as a not strictly religious person. >> to take the religious aspect out of christmas is taking military out of veterans day and workers out of labor day. if we go down that path, we'll have a real uproar. >> and on the positive side, although the numbers show a decline, i will say i was at the rockettes last week with my mom and we saw them. they had a nativity scene with real camels and sheep on stage after they did some scenes with santa claus. they combined the two. you work around new york city, it's the most beautiful time of the year to see the trees and the menorahs. people celebrating. a small sector that is anti-holiday cheer and there's a religious aspect following. but overall we're religious. churches and synagogues have to do a better job approaching young people so that they want to be part, and mosques.

>> what i love about what you're saying -- >> generally -- >> people want to be part of these tight knit communities because their values of community and the judeo-christian values that this country was founded on has built into the society that we have today. keeping the values is important. >> it takes up beyond the commercialization that we see this time of the year, too, which is feel so glitzy in new york. tough things happen in the world. i personally think it help tos believe in something greater what is the hottest christmas gift of the year on the market? a stunning new survey funding nearly 3/4 of student loan borrowers would rather have money to help pay off their debt rather than iphones or super bowl tickets. some sobering numbers.

45 million student debtors have a debt of $1.45 trillion. average of 28,000 per recent graduate. i'm seeing you nod, jessica. >> there's a bernie sanders platform right there in one read. >> oh, my gosh! he had like 45 million followers. >> he lost. but he did well with that argument. student debt is a tremendous issue in american society. college costs way too much. we don't have enough programs that are emphasizing vocational trainings, two-year colleges. not everybody needs a four-year degree from harvard. if you can get it, it's fantastic. i understand why they're saying they need help with this. >> good for them. everybody says millennials are not responsible. turns out people say i'd rather pay off my debt than have a phone and knows what my face look like. >> it's not like saying millennials don't like taking on debt period, which is why they

don't buy houses or cars and it's why the tax cult is good for millennials. renters will be treated equally to owners. >> you've gone too far, david. >> you've come full circle this hour. >> surveys show that millennials don't like stuff. they don't like to accumulate things. they'd rather have experiences and freedom, which is ironic. >> don't get the disconnect there, but hey. >> i'm a millennial at heart. >> i'd rather go someplace and see something and do something. >> and take fantastic pictures on the phone you don't really want but you have the memories. >> i never thought that bernie sanders would come up so afternoon in this conversation. >> every day he continues to burn me. >> probably -- >> it's like hillary, what happened. >> give me another hour. i'll tell you. >> the student loan issue is another problem for the administration. the problem is, the people that run on it like bernie sanders

want the rest of us to pay for these loans that other people signed up for when generations before us paid their way through school, worked through school and paid off their loans. >> the problem is, it's more expensive now. >> why is that? because the government -- the federal government is pumping thousands -- >> it's an irresponsible platform. i think going with free college tuition and free healthcare completely is irresponsible and didn't work in americans saw through it. after that when there was a cut off and people broke for hillary -- >> it's not actually free. you can't create education out of thin air with no money. >> the reason why tuition is so expensive, there's no accountability for the universities to have results at the end. imagine this. imagine signing up a student loan in the same way that a bank would have to present a mortgage to you in terms of what you get, what you're signing up for, what the terms are. they don't do it when it comes

to student loans. they put it in front of you. advisories say it's fine if you that i can five, six, seven years to get your degree. they know that the federal government is pumping money into these schools and they're going to get it anyway. whereas the students suffer and return the economy suffers -- >> and the mortgage crisis, like paying off debts into the 50s and 60s. >> you were awfully quiet there. you said your piece -- >> i had one big point and that was it. >> nothing wrong with that. >> i was trying to -- >> merry christmas to everybody on the couch and everybody watching. we'll see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern. with liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey. oh. that's my robe. is it? you could save seven hundred eighty two dollars when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance.

the center of the how canneighborhood?r house first, mix liquid gold velveeta with the one-two kick of ro*tel's

diced tomatoes and spicy green chilies. then, find space for extra parking. lots and lots of parking. ♪ >> president trump at his winter white house in florida. spending the holiday at mar-a-lago with his family as he marks his first christmas in office. welcome to america's news headquarters and merry christmas, everyone. i'm patti ann browne. >> merry christmas to you,. >> he had he had i'm ed henry. the white house fielding calls from the kids. help with defense department and norad. earlier the president offered christmas wishes to our service members stationed all around the world. >> today and every day we are incredibly thankful for you and for your families. your families have been